Glimpses of Humor
by Graciebird
Summary: These are short, unconnected ficlets that describe funny moments in the lab. GSR.
1. Glass Walls

1Sara trudged down the corridor after pulling a double, anxious to get home and into bed. As she passed the various glassed in rooms she took time to glare at the day shift crew, which seemed to be as wide awake as she was dead. Sara could almost feel the softness of her sheets when something drew her gaze. There, in one of the workrooms, sat Grissom. And on his face was a sight that Sara didn't see every day: he was smiling. Suddenly Sara ran into the glass of the lab wall.

"Ouch" she exclaimed while silently cursing herself for not watching where she was going.

"Sara, are you ok?"asked Grissom as he hurried into the hallway where she stood rubbing her forehead.

"Um, yeah. I'm fine."

"You just ran into a wall."

"Yep. Wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done."

"Why are you smiling?"

"I just made a complete fool of myself, and that is something I try my hardest not to do around you. I was doing such a good job, too. You must think I'm a complete idiot."

"Not really. How long has it been since you slept? Besides, you look kinda cute with a huge red welt on your forehead."

"Shut up" Sara cried, hitting him with her file folder.

"Mad woman on the loose" Grissom yelled as he dodged Sara's continued assaults.

They continued the chase down the corridor until they found themselves face to face with Ecklie's glare.

"So this is how you strive to solve crimes and provide closure for the victim's families" Ecklie smirked.

With that Grissom grabbed Sara's hand and they ran back to the break room, laughing hysterically all the way.


	2. Caution: Floors are Wet

Author's Note: I am not particularly fond of Sophia, and this story reflects that. Please do not read if you will be offended on her behalf. Also, I love British people, and the "British Invasion" comment merely reflects on Sophia's conduct, not on the Brits in general.

Sara shook her head as she left the break room. Nick and Warrick could be heard all over the lab, arguing about the PlayStation game they were playing. Sara told herself that she, as a woman, wasn't nearly as competitive as the boys. Who was she kidding? Only yesterday she had barely squelched the urge to pummel Sophia after she saw her flirt with Grissom. That blonde vixen had her hooks out for Grissom, and Sara knew that she would sooner murder Sophia and bury her in the desert before she would let her Grissom fall prey to the British invasion.

Sara took several deep breaths before she made her way to the DNA lab where she had evidence waiting for her. There was no need for anyone to know what she was feeling and why. She had done a good job of masking her affection for Grissom in the past year, or so she thought. No need to slip up now. His little "mouth to mouth" comment the other day hadn't helped any, but she had done a good job ignoring it.

Sara was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the sign warning her that the floor had just been mopped. Before she knew it she was slipping and sliding down the corridor, desperately trying to keep her balance. Suddenly Sara landed on her stomach and slid a couple of feet before running headlong into somebody's legs. That person fell on top of Sara with a loud "Ooof!"

"I can't breathe" Sara managed to choke out as the person rolled off of her. To her embarrassment she saw that it was Grissom who she had knocked down.

"Well then" he said with a devilish smile, "Maybe it is time for me to show you how good I am at mouth to mouth."


	3. Road Trip

AN: The technique Sara uses for getting the car keys is actually quite effective, as I've used it several times. Reviews are greatly appreciated, as is constructive criticism, and I will most likely respond to them.

Sara sat at the break room table, tapping her fingers and bouncing her leg.

"Somebody is impatient today" remarked Grissom as he entered the room.

"No, someone is just anticipating the promised lesson in CPR techniques that will take place after shift" countered Sara.

"Then that someone might have to learn to cool it, because it looks as though she will be pulling a double."

"What?"

"You and I have a 419 about an hour north of here. We should leave now if we don't want to prolong this into a triple."

"Fine, but I'm driving."

"No you're not. I have the keys, and I'm driving" replied Grissom as he dangled the keys in the air.

"WHAT IS THAT!" Sara yelled, pointing behind Grissom. As soon as he turned his head she grabbed the keys and made a mad dash for the parking lot.

As soon as Grissom turned his head he knew that he had been duped. No way was he letting Sara Sidle drive the whole way to the DB. As he made his way to the parking lot he formed a hasty scheme to retrieve the car keys.

In the parking lot, Sara was leaning against the car with her legs crossed over each other, the keys clutched tightly in her hand. A victory smile threatened to split her face. She started to laugh as Grissom trudged over to her.

"Very funny Ms. Sidle. Now I hope that in the future-"all of the sudden Grissom stopped and looked at her more closely.

"What is it, Griss?" asked Sara.

"Has anyone ever told you that have some of the most kissable lips in the state of Nevada?"

"I don't think so" breathed Sara as Grissom lowered his face to hers. He took her hands in his, and right as their lips met he placed two fingers on the keys. Ending the kiss he grabbed the keys and grinned wickedly.

"Let me get your door for you, madam."

"Grissom that was dirty" sputtered Sara as she got into the passenger seat.

"I know. I never said I played fair. But if you're a good girl I might stop at McDonalds and get you a milkshake on the way back."

"You have got to be kidding me" was Sara's only reply.

After about fifteen minutes Sara started bouncing her legs and tapping her fingers.

"What are you doing?" asked Grissom.

"Nothing."

After fifteen more minutes of tapping and bouncing Grissom couldn't take it anymore. "Sara, what is the matter with you?"

"I really have to go to the bathroom."

"We only left the lab half an hour ago. Can't you even hold it that long?"

"I don't guess so."

"You'll just have to wait another half hour. When we get to the scene we'll find somewhere for you to…do your business."

"Thanks Grissom" said Sara as she smiled angelically.

By the time they reached the crime scene Sara was doing a little dance in her seat. Grissom couldn't look at her for fear of laughing. As soon as the car stopped she bolted for the convenience store across the street. After what seemed like forever she came back again.

"What took you so long? I thought you had died in there!"

"Grissom, afford a girl a little dignity. What I do in the ladies room is none of your business."

As it turned out, the dead body was really a fake corpse from a Halloween store.

"Great, we drove all of the way out here for nothing" muttered Sara.

"I believe that _I _drove all of the way out here. But look at it this way: at least now we can have that CPR lesson without so many prying eyes. Although it seems that I have left the dummy at the lab…it looks as though I will have to take volunteers."

"I volunteer!"


	4. Men's Room

Author's Note: This ficlet is a tiny bit longer, per requests. And this did happen to me last week. Needless to say, it was mortifying. If you're female, make sure the bathroom you go in has the stick figure with a skirt. Reviews are greatly appreciated and fondly treasured.

Sara ran into the lab as soon as the Tahoe pulled into the parking lot. She promised herself that she would never, ever drink water again. Not even if she was dehydrated. It was bad enough that she couldn't hold it on the way to the crime scene, but now she had to go to the bathroom again. Badly.

This time Grissom hadn't been as kind as he had on the way to the crime scene. He had noticed the pained expression on her face and immediately started laughing. Then he proceeded to clean the windshield with windshield wiper fluid every five minutes. He told her stories of thunderstorms, fountains, and waterfalls. He promised to take her to Lake Mead on their next day off. To top it off, it started raining about fifteen minutes before they re-entered Las Vegas. Sara had thought that she was going to die.

Never had the lab bathroom looked so appealing. Sara ran into a stall and proceeded to do her business. All of the sudden she heard a masculine voice from the stall next to her.

"How are you?"

This was beyond mortifying. It was bad enough that Sara had apparently run into the men's bathroom in her haste, but now someone had caught her. She couldn't pretend like she hadn't heard him. Her only hope was that he didn't know who it was.

"I'm fine" she replied, trying to deepen her voice. The voice that came out sounded like a six year old trying to sound like "Dad" while playing house.

"What've you been up to?"

"Well," Sara cringed as her voice cracked, "I've just been working. You know, man, protecting the world from danger and all that. How 'bout you?"

"I've been missing you something awful. I can't wait for tonight. I'll pick you up around six, ok Babe?"

Sara thought that she would die of embarrassment when she realized that the voice in the stall next to her had been on a cell phone. She tried to make a run for the door when she heard the stall door next to her open.

"Sara? What are you doing in here?" asked Archie the lab tech.

"Um, well, they're cleaning the women's bathroom, and I, uh, couldn't wait."

"What were you talking about in the stall?"

"Archie, is there any way you could forget this ever happened?"

"Sure, Sara. I don't even know what happened."

Sara quickly ducked out of the bathroom with Archie right behind her. There, waiting across the hallway, stood Grissom. Realizing he had seen her go into the bathroom and not stopped her, Sara backed up against the wall and covered her face with her hands.

"Sara, is there something you'd like to tell me? Like what you and Archie were doing in the bathroom?"

"Griss, how could you let me go in there?"

"I thought you'd realize it was the men's bathroom. There aren't urinals in the women's bathroom, or at least there weren't last time I checked."

"I have never been so humiliated in my life. Please don't ever tease me about this, Griss. I don't think I can handle it."

"Don't worry. At least it was Archie in there, not Nick or Greg. You would never hear the end of that."

"Yeah, thank goodness."

"Here, I got you some water."

Sara took the bottle before she realized that Grissom was laughing at her. Pretending to brush something out of his hair, she unscrewed the water bottle and dumped it over his head. At the look of shock on his face she couldn't help but laugh herself. As she moved away he grabbed her and pulled her against his chest, getting her blouse soaked. He stopped her shrieks of outrage by covering her lips with his. When they pulled back for air they were greeted by applause from the lab techs.

"Come on, Sara," said Grissom, pulling her in the direction of the garage, "There's some GSR in the backseat of the car that we need to process."

"Yeah, I'll bet there's GSR in the backseat," whispered Archie to Bobby, "And it isn't gun shot residue. It's called Grissom and Sara romanticizing. How much you wanna bet they fog up the windows?"


	5. Sara's Dimple

Author's Note: I know this is not how the characters act, but that's the fun of it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and special thanks to Solomynne for the encouragement and love!

"Don't pinch my dimple!" Sara screeched as she moved out of Greg's reach.

"Come on, Sara, Sour Sara!" yelled Greg as he chased her.

"Don't you dare touch me Greg! I will pop you one so fast that you won't know what hit you" she warned as she fled down the corridor.

The chase ensued down the hall and past Grissom's office. When he heard what Sara was yelling he shook his head. Did she say what he thought she had just said? It sounded like…never mind. There was no way that Sara would yell that in the lab. She rarely even swore at work, not to mention…

The way that she screamed and the way that Greg chased her made Grissom a little jealous. It was the way he wished he could act around her. Instead he was forced to disguise his love with double meanings and stolen kisses. He shook his head and tried to concentrate on the crossword puzzle he had hidden under his paperwork. What was a six letter word that was a part of the anatomy?

It didn't take long for the rumors to start circulating. Grissom couldn't go into a lab area without hearing someone say "Did you hear what Sara said?" or "I heard that Greg and Sara were an item." They would all fall silent when he entered the room, incorrectly assuming that he was deaf and blind to the childish pursuits of his coworkers. When he called Sara into his office later that day, everyone was sure that he was going to berate her behind closed doors.

"Close the door, Sara. No, come on this side of the door."

Sara approached the desk slowly, not used to being this far in his office. She bit her lip to conceal her smile.

"Take a seat."

When Sara sat down Grissom came around the desk and leaned on it. "So I hear that Greg has been trying to pinch your…dimple."

"Yes" said Sara, barely managing to contain her smile.

"Would you care to show me said dimple?"

Sara allowed her face to split into a grin.

"Ah hah. There is the culprit. I can see why he was so tantalized. However, chasing you through the lab was unnecessary. I hope that you told him that you were taken."

"Yes sir. I notified him that it was inappropriate to pinch my cheek because my boyfriend would get very jealous."

"Good" said Grissom as he reached up to pinch her dimple. At the very last second her dropped his hand and planted a kiss on the dimple instead. At that moment Greg rushed in, loudly proclaiming "Grissom, it should be me in here, not Sa-"

He stopped abruptly when he saw what he was interrupting.

"Greg, if you breathe a word of this I will have you assigned to decomps for the next year. And now you see why I wished to speak to Sara alone. Please leave and look thoroughly chastised."

"Yes sir. I'm sorry sir. I'll never pinch her dimple again sir" said Greg as he backed out of the room. When he met the curious stare of the lab rats he shrugged his shoulders and admitted "There's no hope for her. And I wouldn't interrupt Grissom right now. He seems very intent upon teaching her a lesson."


	6. Out, Out!

**Author's Note:** This is based off of an idea from Anne Ruhland (thanks a bunch!). The quote is from Shakespeare's Macbeth. I hope you enjoy, and please review. Also note: if you ever burn one of these heating thingies, it can take up to two weeks for the stench to leave.

The business of the lab and the glare of the morning sun clued Sara in to the fact that it was morning. She fell into a chair in the break room and rubbed her aching neck. What she wouldn't give for a massage right now. Greg walked into the room and noticed her rubbing her neck.

"Hey Sar, you gotta neck ache?"

"No," replied Sara sarcastically, "I'm just trying to paralyze myself."

"No need to be so crabby! I have the perfect thing for you. I always keep it in my locker for times like these. Luckily, I'm here to serve, so I'll let you use it."

Sara buried her head in her arms and didn't look up when Greg came back into the room.

"Yikes!" she yelped when she felt something hot on her neck. She grabbed it and realized that it was one of those beanie pouches that held in heat.

Greg snatched it back and held it on her neck again.

"Ah" she sighed, leaning back into the heat.

"See?" chirped Greg. "I always come to your rescue. Just remember that when you think that Grissom is your knight in shining armor. Somebody has to be the pageboy."

"You know, you're right, Greg. You would make an excellent servant. Will you make me a pot of Blue Hawaiian now?"

"For you, Sara darling, anything. But unfortunately, our boss has me running ragged. Apparently he thinks you need some rest, and he has me running all of your evidence to trace. I've got to go see if Hodges has anything ready yet. Not that he would tell me if he did. Apparently I don't 'understand his complexities.'"

Greg left the break room in search of Hodges. The pouch quickly lost heat, and Sara reluctantly got up to reheat it. After three times or reheating it for a minute, she gave up and heated it for two minutes. She had taken it out of the microwave and put it onto her neck before she realized that it was searing hot.

All anyone in the lab heard was Sara's yelp before they smelled a nauseating fume. They assumed that some experiment had gone wrong, and quickly evacuated the building. Grissom was passing the break room when he noticed Sara trying to fit her head under the faucet at the sink.

"Sara, what are you doing? We've got to evacuate for some reason. It smells like something has blown up. WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR NECK?"

It took Sara a minute to put everything together, but by the time she had Grissom had put her into a fireman's hold and carried her out of the building. Spying the police station nurse standing by a pick up truck, he carried Sara over and set her on the tailgate.

"Mrs. North, Sara has some kind of burn on her neck. I need you to look at it."

Mrs. North peered at the burn for a minute before she winked at Sara.

"This isn't bad, sweetheart. I'll just put some salve on it and you'll be all set. Of course, I'll have to wrap it and you may want to keep some ice on it for a couple of hours. How did you get this, anyway?"

"Well," started Sara sheepishly, "I was warming up a bean bag for my neck ache, and I warmed it up too long. I didn't realize it before I put it on my neck."

"Oh! So that is the source of the putrid smell that has taken over the lab."

"Sara, is that true?" asked Grissom.

"I'm afraid so. It just wouldn't stay warm when I put it into the microwave for one minute, so I put it in for two. I'm so sorry, Grissom. I didn't mean to stink up the lab."

Instead of yelling like Sara thought he would, Grissom laughed. He threw back his head and laughed like nobody had ever seen him do. Needless to say, his laugh drew attention. Soon everybody knew who had caused the stench. Sara received more than a few deadly glares.

A few days later the smell had finally filtered out of the lab. The CSIs were back to work as usual. They were sitting around the break room table, waiting for assignments. Suddenly Catherine, who had been on vacation during the whole fiasco, wrinkled her nose.

"What is that smell? It smells like burnt popcorn crossed with road kill and bad gas!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry," said Sara, "No matter how many lotions and perfumes I put on my hands, I still can't seem to get the smell out."

"Yes," said Grissom from the doorway, "Rather than 'Out, out, damned spot!' we should say 'Out, out damned smell."


	7. Pool Party

**Author's Note:** No, Nick didn't buy a house. I just used my creative license to give him one for the time being. I'm sure he'll give it back to the owners like a gentleman when he's done using it. I hope you enjoy, and please review!

It was just beginning to get unbearably hot in Vegas. Everybody at the lab was getting testy, so Nick thought of the perfect way to get everyone comfortable with each other again. He had just bought a new house; one with a pool. Grissom was making everybody take off Memorial Day and night, so it would be the perfect time to hold a pool party.

Finally the big day had arrived. Nick had the burgers (and a veggie burger for Sara) barbequing on the grill. Everyone was due to arrive at two o'clock. Catherine was the first to arrive, and she wore a bikini that was reminiscent of her days in exotic dancing. She carefully lowered herself onto a lawn chair and slathered tanning oil all over her body. Right as she started Warrick arrived, minus Tina. They hadn't been getting along lately, and had decided to go to different Memorial Day functions. When Warrick spotted Catherine he hurried over and offered to help her. He had just started rubbing oil onto her back when Grissom and Sara came in. They were helping Greg lug in a CD player and speakers. Grissom was busy helping Greg hook up the player when Sara shed her t-shirt and shorts. At the sight of Greg's jaw meeting the ground he turned around. Sara was oblivious to the sudden and obvious male attention, and went to help Nick at the barbeque.

While eating the boys insisted on having a contest to see who could eat the most hamburgers. Greg won after he ate five.

"So, who wants to play some pool volleyball?" called Nick.

"Not me," replied Greg, "I think I need to observe that rule about waiting half an hour after you eat to swim. I'm stuffed."

Greg spread his towel out on the diving board and stretched out on top of it, settling in for a nap. He was so lethargic from all of the food that he didn't hear Sara creep up behind him. Before he knew it he was flying off of the diving board and landing in the pool in a belly flop.

"I will get you Sara Sidle" he sputtered when he finally surfaced.

"You'll have to catch me first, Greggo" she replied as she ran into Nick's house.

Before anyone knew what to do, Greg was out of the pool and in hot pursuit of Sara. He reached the back door of the house to find it locked. That didn't stop him. He ran around to the garage, but Sara had locked that door as well. Not about to be outdone by a girl, Greg looked around the house for another way to enter. That was when he noticed a half door to a crawl space in the wall. He grabbed a flashlight from the tool bench and stepped inside.

To his advantage, he soon found another door that led into a spare bedroom. He quietly snuck into the room and listened. He didn't hear anything, so he figured that Sara was hiding somewhere. He stuck his head into the hall and saw Sara with her back to him, creeping down the hallway. He snuck up behind her and was almost to her when the board under his foot squeaked and gave him away. Sara whipped around and ran straight into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

It only took Greg a second to come up with a plan. Then he remembered that most of these houses kept the extra key to the doors on the top of the door frame. He went to the door to the spare room and felt above the door frame. Sure enough, there it was.

As soon as Greg turned the key in the lock, Sara relocked it. This went on until finally Greg unlocked the door and forced his way into the bathroom. Sara jumped in the shower to avoid him, and he quickly turned it on and pushed her under it. At the last second she grabbed him and pulled him under the spray with her.

By the time they got back outside they were both soaking wet.

"What were you two doing?" questioned Catherine.

"We decided to recap that lovely experience we had last time we showered together" said Sara.

"Only this time we had clothes on" Greg hurried to explain when he saw the murderous look in Grissom's eye.

The afternoon passed with a volleyball game (Warrick and Nick won) and a diving competition (in which Sara's back flip beat the boys' belly flops). Soon the sun was sinking below the horizon, and Catherine had yet to get wet. This was bothering Warrick, and in one swift movement he and Nick picked her up and threw her into the pool. Catherine was not amused, and to show her displeasure she splashed them in the face. A splashing war had begun.

Eventually everyone realized how late it was and started leaving two by two. Warrick took Catherine to pick Lindsey up from her friend's house, and Grissom left with a strange gleam in his eyes and his arm around Sara's waist. Greg and Nick were the only ones remaining.

"Greg, did you see the way Grissom and Sara acted all day? It's almost like something is going on between them" remarked Nick.

"I didn't see anything, and if you know what's good for you, you didn't either." replied Greg. "But who cares? The night is young, and we're in Vegas. Why don't we go down to the Strip and see if we can forget that our fifty year old boss somehow managed to get the hottest girl in the lab?"


	8. Seminar Trouble

Author's Note: Sorry it took me a while to update. And thanks to Anne Ruhland once again for the wonderful idea. I have a new role play up for CSI, if you'd like to check it out, it's under my homepage. Please review, they let me know what I need to change and what you like. Ideas are always welcome.

The time had come for the semi-annual safety seminar at the lab. All employees were required to attend, which meant that graveyard shift had to stay at the lab until 10 am for the meeting. Needless to say, none of them were very happy about that.

When Sara sidled into the room Nick and Warrick were already there, pouring cups of Hawaiian Blue for their shift.

"Can't let any of Ecklie's rats get a whiff of our secret" was Nick's reply when Sara asked why they had poured the coffee into cups instead of leaving it in the pot. When the pot was emptied Warrick started another one for the day shifters who would be dragging in shortly.

Greg came into the room and grabbed a cup of coffee. "Glad you feel that you have a right to my stash whenever you so please."

"Yeah, well, you know how Grissom likes his Hawaiian Blue. And you don't want to put him in a bad mood, do you? He's still sore with you about walking in on him last week" replied Nick.

Catherine marched in the room, grabbed a cup of coffee, and sat in the back row. She proceeded to cross her legs over each other and file her nails, her face the picture of boredom. Warrick, Nick, and Greg took seats together a row ahead of her. Sara sat in the second to last chair on that row.

"Come sit with us, Sara," begged Greg.

"No can do, Greggo," she replied laughingly, "Last time I sat with you in a safety seminar we both got called down."

Soon the lab rats and day shifters entered the room. Ecklie came in right behind them and made a beeline for Catherine, who actually deigned to smile in his direction. Sara knew that there was something between them. She couldn't help but remember the time she had been suspended, and how Catherine had been quick to take Ecklie's side of things. It seemed like Catherine could teach everyone a few things about brown-nosing.

Suddenly Sara's phone vibrated and caused her to jump in her seat. Taking it out, she saw that she had received a text message.

BugHugger: sry, im running a little late. Will u save me a seat?

Sara immediately replied.

Sciencebabe: i already have.

BugHugger: thanks. Away from the boys.

Sciencebabe: u want privacy?

BugHugger: don't u?

Sciencebabe: ecklie's here. It's impossible.

BugHugger: c u in ten.

Sara put her phone in her pocket right as the seminar started. A middle aged woman was leading it, and Sara knew that it wouldn't be good when she began:

"Due to the recent accident in the lab, it would seem that it is necessary to once again inform you of proper safety procedures. First of all, let me remind you that the only things in microwaves should be food. Do not, under any circumstance, put fabric in the microwave. Especially flammable fabric. Is that clear?"

Everybody looked at Sara with death glares, finally understanding that her accident was the reason for this seminar. She slid down in her seat and willed the minutes away until Grissom got there.

While the woman droned on in her nasally voice, Sara glanced around the room to see what everybody else was up to. Greg had snuck in his iPod and was listening to it with his collar up to conceal his earphones. Warrick was trying not to fall asleep, and Nick was listening politely to everything the woman said. Ecklie kept edging his hand closer to Catherine's and Catherine was pretending not to notice.

Finally Grissom walked in.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized to the speaker, "but I am in the middle of an important case right now." He immediately sat in the seat next to Sara and stared straight ahead, careful not to show undue affection when Ecklie could notice. He was acting so nonchalant that Sara almost yelped when her phone vibrated in her pocket.

BugHugger: what did I miss?

Sciencebabe: this. Nothing.

BugHugger: what is ecklie doing to catherine?

Sciencebabe: I think he's checking her pulse.

Bughugger: oh. I don't think he can find it.

Sciencebabe: apparently not. He's been trying since the seminar began.

BugHugger: I'm bored.

Sciencebabe: I'm sorry. What do u want me to do about it?

BugHugger: do u really want to know?

Sciencebabe: I think I already do.

BugHugger: I've had more success than ecklie.

Sciencebabe: is that what u call this?

BugHugger: o yeah.

Sciencebabe: I'll show u what I call this…later.

"Ms. Sidle," called the speaker, who had finally noticed that Sara and Grissom weren't listening, "what are you doing?"

"Nothing" said Sara quickly. Apparently it wasn't quickly enough, though, because the lady marched straight over and grabbed her cell phone. To Sara's instant mortification, she immediately scrolled through the messages and started reading them.

"Sciencebabe. Is that you, Ms. Sidle?"

"Um, yes," gulped Sara.

"And who is Bug hugger?"

"Just a friend."

"And what are you going to show him later?"

Suddenly everybody was very interested in what the speaker was saying.

"I think that I know who Bug Hugger is." Said Ecklie as he rose from his seat and turned a hideous red color. "Grissom, Sidle, you will meet me in my office when this seminar is over. And give me that phone immediately."

Sara meekly handed him the phone before sitting back down in her seat. She was humiliated and quite sure that her face matched Ecklie's in color. Grissom was careful not to look at her for the rest of the seminar. Finally, just as things were winding down, his phone rang.

"Sorry," he said to the instructor as he exited the room to take the call. He quickly re-entered and smiled sweetly at Ecklie.

"I'm sorry, but I need Sara."

"I'll bet you do," muttered Catherine under her breath.

Grissom continued, ignoring Catherine's comment. "There has been a new development in the case she and I are working, and we need to head down to interrogation immediately."

Sara quickly got up and joined Grissom in the hall.

"Well, come on, we've got work to do."

"You mean someone really called you?"

"Yeah, it was Greg. He owed me one. Now, I believe that you promised me that you were going to show me something."

"Ah, yes. Well, I might be persuaded to do so if I find a plate of pancakes in front of me in the very near future."

"That, I can do," said Grissom as he opened the door for her and ushered her into the freedom of sunlight.


	9. Advice

**Author's Note: Sorry it took so long. I was working on another story. Enjoy!**

Grissom was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands. He just couldn't think of what to get Sara for their six month anniversary. This was an important date! He had already gotten her flowers, chocolate, and a stuffed animal…now what? Maybe he should ask Nick what to get her, though with that man's strike out record that might not be the best idea. Grissom heaved a big sigh and started pacing the room.

"Hey Grissom, I got your DNA results from Wendy- Whoa! What's wrong with you?" exclaimed Greg as he bounced into the room.

In his desperation Grissom actually saw Greg as his salvation. That was the only reason he could think of as to why he confided in a guy whose hair style changed more often than Katie Couric's.

"Fine, Greg, I'll admit that something is wrong with me."

"Is it your love life?"

"How do you do that?"

"Grissom, Grissom, Grissom, how many times do I have to tell you this? I am a sponge, I just soak up information. Now, what can I help you with?"

"Well, Greg, it is time for me to choose the item that I am to present to Sara for our six month anniversary. It has to be something with meaning and beauty. It has to convey everything that I feel for her, all while being something that she can delight in for years to come."

"Granted, granted. I think that what you are looking for is something out of the ordinary. Something that will communicate to Sara how you feel about her. And Sara is an extraordinary woman. Ah-hah! I think I have the perfect gift!"

Greg just stood there grinning like an idiot while Grissom waited.

"Well, what is it?"

"Oh, Grissom, you owe me for this. I must say, my remarkable skills have rescued you again."

"Greg, do you want to be assigned the next dumpster dive?"

"Now don't get antsy. I was just getting ready to tell you. The absolute perfect gift for Sara would be…a songbird!"

Grissom's mouth actually dropped open. Was Greg serious? Surely he couldn't be.

"Now don't look at me that way, Grissom. Just trust me. While I have never given that gift myself, I have heard numerous women say that they would kill to have just that."

Grissom sauntered into the pet shop, trying to look casual. He wasn't too sure about getting a bird for Sara, but decided that it was worth a try. After all, he didn't have any better ideas. He wandered over to the section of the store for birds and began peering into the cages. Pretty soon he found the one he wanted. It was perched on the bar in the cage, singing its little heart out.

"Can I help you sir?" asked the saleswoman.

"Yes, I believe you can," replied Grissom, "I've decided that I would like to buy this little guy."

"Oh, that's a good choice. Would that be all for today?"

"No. I need all the supplies to keep the bird alive. I've never had a pet bird before."

"Well I can guarantee that you'll love him. This little birdie is the sweetest in the whole world. He sings practically the whole day! He's guaranteed to put a song in your heart."

Grissom couldn't wait to give the bird to Sara. Finally the big day came. He took Sara out for dinner and a play, then drove her back to her apartment. He'd arranged for Greg to sneak the bird into the apartment while they were gone.

Sara noticed the cage immediately when they got into the apartment.

"Hey, what's that thing doing in here?"

"That, sweetheart, is a gift."

"Really? Is that why there's a big purple bow on it?"

"Yes."

"Well, what is it?"

"It's a songbird. I got him just for you."

"Oh Grissom, that is so sweet!" exclaimed Sara as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him smack on the lips. Grissom decided that he had better give Greg a raise. The man _was_ useful for something.

The next evening Sara came into work looking like she'd been run over by a truck. Her eyes had dark circles under them, her mascara was smudged, and she had yellow feathers all over her shirt.

"Sara, honey, what's wrong?" asked Grissom.

"It's that blasted bird you got me! I'm sorry Grissom, but I just couldn't handle it! The bird sang all day, and wouldn't stop, not even when I put a comforter over the cage. So I let it out of the cage and it attacked me! I couldn't handle it, so I let it go. Some things are just better in the wild."

"Sara, I am so sorry about this. It's my fault for giving the bird to you" said Grissom as he pulled her into a hug.

Right at that moment Greg marched triumphantly into the room.

"So, Sara, how did you like the present Grissom got you?"

"I HATED IT! THAT BLASTED BIRD KEPT ME UP ALL DAY!"

Greg had the good sense to get out of the room as soon as he could. He made a run for the DNA lab, with Grissom at his heals.

Grissom found Greg cowering in a corner, waving a file folder as a sign of surrender.

"Greg," barked Grissom, "there is a decomp out in Henderson. In a dumpster. It is yours, solo. Have fun, and don't let me see you before six a.m."

"Yes sir" said Greg as he began to leave, "Oh, and Grissom?"

"Yes, Greg," said Grissom in a warning tone.

"Would you like me to clean up Sara's apartment when I'm done?"

"That would be nice. And while you're at it, pick up the nicest copy of Moby Dick that you can find and have it in my office by the end of shift, with a bouquet of red roses."


End file.
